Systems and methods for providing awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment

ABSTRACT

Computer-implemented methods for proving awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment are described. In one example embodiment, a method comprises receiving predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content, selecting the advertisement content from an advertisement database based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria, and selectively providing the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within the game. In another example embodiment, a method comprises receiving a request to provide the award to a player playing a game, receiving predetermined award selection criteria for selecting the award, selecting the award from an award database based on the predetermined award selection criteria, and selectively providing the award to the player. The predetermined selection criteria include personal preferences, social network data, third party data, geographical locations, and demographical data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/424,574, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING AWARDS AND ADVERTISEMENT CONTENT WITHIN A GAMING ENVIRONMENT,” filed Dec. 17, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

This application relates generally to data processing and, more specifically, to systems and methods for providing awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In an example embodiment, a computer-implemented method for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment comprises providing the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game, receiving predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content, based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria, selecting the advertisement content from an advertisement database, and selectively providing the advertisement content for the surface of the virtual object within the game.

In an example embodiment, a computer-implemented method for providing an award within a gaming environment comprises providing the award to a player playing a game, receiving predetermined award selection criteria for selecting the award, based on the predetermined award selection criteria, selecting the award from an award database, and selectively providing the award to the player.

In further example embodiments, steps counterpart to the methods described herein may be stored on a computer readable storage medium having a program embodied thereon, with the program executable by a processor in a computing device. In yet further example embodiments, modules, subsystems, or devices can be adapted to perform the recited steps. Other features and example embodiments are described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a network environment within which the systems and methods for providing awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment are implemented, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an advertisement system, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an award system, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram showing a method for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram showing a method for providing an award within a gaming environment, in accordance with an example embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of an example machine in the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, are executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods allowing changing advertisement content inside games and awarding game players third party sponsored virtual or real prizes and incentives are provided.

In some example embodiments, systems and methods for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment may include an advertising database or server, which provides the advertising content to the gaming environment via a network (e.g., the Internet). The advertising content delivered via the network may be displayed inside a game played by one or more players. To select the advertisement content for a game, a portion of the game, or a bonus game within the game, the advertising system may utilize certain predetermined criteria described in more detail below.

The advertising content may be specific to the entire game, a special sponsored game (or bonus play) within the game, or be specific to the player. The criteria for selecting the advertising content specific to the player may be based upon an interest in various products, companies, or brands expressly stated by the player. The criteria for selecting the advertising content may also be based on information disclosed on the Internet, within a social network space, or deduced or determined from the information gathered by an in-house analytic system or a third party (e.g., Google AdSense placement style, keyword detection, demographic or geographic information).

Once the advertising content (based on player preferences or other predetermined criteria) is received in the gaming environment, personalized advertisements may be displayed on the surfaces of virtual objects within the game. A homegrown or third party technology may be utilized to display the advertisements on the virtual objects.

In some example embodiments, the systems and methods for providing awards within a gaming environment may award sponsored prizes. These prizes may be of a virtual nature (such as gaming tools, hints, skills, and so forth), special additional (bonus) games/rounds, or some other additional features enhancing the gaming experience and/or providing advancements or additional playtime. The award system may also award real prizes, such as gift cards, discount coupons, and so forth. The awards may be won by a player of a network gaming system or mobile system in the course of a game or in the course of an additional bonus game, such as a special game sponsored by one or more advertisers. The awards may be selected from an award database by a player and/or automatically selected by the award system based on predetermined award selecting criteria. The criteria for selecting the award may come directly from the player who expressed interest in a range of products/companies, may be determined from the personal information disclosed by the player on the Internet, or may be determined from information gathered or otherwise known to those skilled in the art, such as Google AdSense, keyword detection, demographics, geographic information, Internet Protocol (IP), and so forth.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a network environment 100 within which the systems and methods for providing awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment may be implemented, in accordance with an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the example network environment 100 may include a plurality of personal communication devices 110, a network 120, a social network 130, a game server 140, an advertisement system 150, an advertisement database 160, an award system 170, and an award database 180. The personal communication device 110 may include any device on which a game application can be run, such as, for example, a mobile telephone or a game console (e.g., Nintendo DS). Other example personal devices 110 may include devices having a mere browser or more advanced devices able to run a complete operating system.

The network 120, as shown in FIG. 1, is a network of data processing nodes interconnected for the purpose of data communication, which may be utilized to communicatively couple various components of the network environment 100. The network 120 may include the Internet or any other network capable of communicating data between devices. Suitable networks may include or interface with any one or more of, for instance, a local intranet, a PAN (Personal Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), a virtual private network (VPN), a storage area network (SAN), a frame relay connection, an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) connection, a synchronous optical network (SONET) connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, Digital Data Service (DDS) connection, DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connection, an Ethernet connection, an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) line, a dial-up port such as a V.90, V.34 or V.34bis analog modem connection, a cable modem, an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) connection, or an FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) or CDDI (Copper Distributed Data Interface) connection. Furthermore, communications may also include links to any of a variety of wireless networks, including WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), cellular phone networks, GPS (Global Positioning System), CDPD (cellular digital packet data), RIM (Research in Motion, Limited) duplex paging network, Bluetooth radio, or an IEEE 802.11-based radio frequency network. The network 120 can further include or interface with any one or more of an RS-232 serial connection, an IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, a Fiber Channel connection, an IrDA (infrared) port, a SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) connection, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection or other wired or wireless, digital or analog interface or connection, mesh or Digit networking.

The network environment 100 may include one player or many players playing an interactive game in an Internet environment, on a personal communication device 110 or on a computer. The Internet gaming environment may be facilitated by an online network service, platform, or site that may communicate with social network services, or a site that focuses on the building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people (e.g., who share interests and/or activities). The social network service may include a representation of each player as a profile, his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. A social network service may be web based and provide means for players to interact over the Internet. A game played within a social network may include a type of game that features multiplayer and asynchronous gameplay mechanics. A social network game may be played via a web browser or a mobile application installed on the personal communication device 110. The gaming environment may be facilitated by the game server 140, which may be run remotely and used by the social network 130 to play multiplayer video games. A social network game may be played over the Internet via a connection to the game server 140. As the game is played, the game server 140 may collect data from players and distribute it to other players.

The game played within the gaming environment facilitated by the game server 140 may be specifically designed to contain virtual spaces dedicated to display advertising on surfaces of virtual objects of the game. The advertising content displayed on such surfaces may be provided by the advertisement system 150, which selects advertising content from the advertisement database 160. The advertisement system 150 may utilize predetermined criteria to select the advertisement provided by the advertisement database 160. The predetermined criteria may be based on information specific to the entire game, a special sponsored game (or bonus play) within the game, or specific to the player. The advertisement content may be specific to the players who expressed interest in the range of products/companies, can be deduced from the personal information disclosed by the player within the social network space, or may be determined from information gathered otherwise as known to those skilled in the art (e.g., Google AdSense placement style, keywords detection, geographic, and demographic information, IP).

The advertisement database 160 may store the advertisement content. In one example embodiment, the advertisement database 160 is a computer server (e.g., an application or a web server) that stores advertisements used for marketing in games and provides them to the advertisement system 150. The contents of the advertisement database 160 may be constantly updated to dynamically change the advertisement content displayed on the surfaces of the virtual objects within the games. Additionally, the game server 140 may perform various other tasks, such as counting the number of impressions/clicks for an advertisement campaign and generating reports. The advertisement database 160 may be installed locally or accessed via a third party. Based on historical data provided to the advertisement system 150, a specific advertisement may be displayed for a player. For example, if the player is known to have visited an automotive website, a car advertisement may be displayed. In addition, the advertisement content displayed within the game may be based on contextual targeting by inferring the optimal advertisement placement from information contained within specific scenes of the game. For example, a mountain bike advertisement may be automatically placed on a virtual object within a scene that includes a mountain bike race. It should be understood that any other predictive methods may be used for a given advertisement placement.

The award system 170 may be utilized to award sponsored prizes (virtual or real) within the context of a social/mobile game (or an extension of a game, bonus game, additional game/round, additional feature/mission within a game, and so forth). The award system 170 may utilize specific business rules by which prizes or ranges of prizes are determined. The prizes may be specific to the entire game, a special sponsored game (or bonus play) within the game, or to the player. The prizes may be specific to the players who expressed interest in the range of products/companies, determined from personal information disclosed by the player within a social network space, or from information gathered as otherwise known to those skilled in art (e.g., Google AdSense placement style, keywords detection, geographic, and demographic information). The award database 180 may store the prize and award content.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the advertisement system 150, in accordance with an example embodiment. In one example embodiment, the advertisement system 150 may include a communication module 152 and an advertisement selecting module 154. The advertisement system 150 may provide advertisement content within a gaming environment. The communication module 152 may provide the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game and may receive predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content. The advertisement selecting module 154 may select the advertisement content from the advertisement database 160 based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria and provide the advertisement content for the surface of the virtual object within the game played by one or more players within the social network 130 via the personal communication device 110, computer, or video game console. The advertisement selecting module 154 may utilize a personal preference, a social network fact, a third party fact, a geographical location, an IP, or a demographical fact to select the advertisement content.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the award system 170, in accordance with an example embodiment. In one example embodiment, the award system 170 may include a communication module 172 and an award selecting module 174. The communication module 172 may be utilized to receive a request to provide an award to a player playing a game and to receive predetermined award selection criteria for selecting the award. The award selecting module 174 may be utilized to select, based on the predetermined award selection criteria, an award from the award database 180 and to selectively provide the award to a player. The award may include a physical reward such as a gift, merchandise, discount coupon, gift card, or invitation to a private sale. The award may include a virtual reward sponsored by a third party, such as a virtual gaming tool, a level of a game, a key for unlocking a level, a gaming hint, a gaming skill, a bonus game, a bonus part of the game, an additional feature of the game, additional play time, or an opportunity to engage in a random event with a chance of receiving a virtual prize. The value of the award may be based on the level of play. The random event mentioned above may include a wheel spinning, tiles of objects for selecting, routs of objects for selecting, or arrays of objects for selecting. It will be understood that more than one advertiser may sponsor a particular award. The players may share the awards within a network and/or exchange awards of a virtual or real nature.

FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram showing a method 400 for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment, in accordance with an example embodiment. The method 400 may be performed by processing logic that may comprise hardware (e.g., dedicated logic, programmable logic, and microcode), software (such as software run on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. In one example embodiment, the processing logic resides at the advertisement system 150, shown in FIG. 2.

The method 400 can be performed by the various modules discussed above with reference to FIG. 2. Each of these modules can comprise processing logic. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that examples of the foregoing modules may be virtual, and instructions said to be executed by a module may, in fact, be retrieved and executed by a processor. The foregoing modules may also include memory cards, servers, and/or computer discs. Although various modules may be configured to perform some or all of the various steps described herein, fewer or more modules may be provided and still fall within the scope of various embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 may commence at operation 402 with the communication module 152 of the advertisement system 150 receiving a request to provide the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game. The advertisement system 150, having access to personal, geographic, and/or demographic information of the player, may facilitate playing the game in such a way as to allow specific advertising content to be displayed on virtual objects in the game (or the game extension). Alternatively, the game may allow extensions of the game (additional play/round, bonus play/round, additional missions) to be added. As mentioned above, in one example embodiment, the gaming systems and methods may include a player or a group of players playing a game in a network environment, on a mobile device, or on a computer where he/she creates a gaming space, with a choice of virtual tools, via casual games used by a mass audience of casual gamers.

At operation 404, the communication module 152 of the advertisement system 150 may receive predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content from the advertisement database 160. At operation 406, the advertisement selecting module 154 may select, based on the predetermined advertisement content, the advertisement content from the advertisement database 160. At operation 408, the advertisement system 150 may selectively provide the advertisement content for the surface of the virtual object within the game.

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram showing a method 500 for providing an award within a gaming environment, in accordance with an example embodiment. The method 500 may be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g., dedicated logic, programmable logic, and microcode), software (such as software run on a general-purpose computer system or a dedicated machine), or a combination of both. In one example embodiment, the processing logic resides at the award system 170, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The method 500 may be performed by the various modules discussed above with reference to FIG. 3. Each of these modules may comprise processing logic. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that examples of the foregoing modules may be virtual, and instructions said to be executed by a module may, in fact, be retrieved and executed by a processor. The foregoing modules may also include memory cards, servers, and/or computer discs. Although various modules may be configured to perform some or all of the various steps described herein, fewer or more modules may be provided and still fall within the scope of various embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 may commence at operation 502 with the communication module 172 of the award system 170 receiving a request to provide an award to a player playing the game. The award may include a virtual or real prize sponsored (entirely or partially) by the third party. For example, a player may receive additional tools enhancing his or her gaming ability and ability to move from level to level. On each consequent level, a new level of the game can be unlocked or new routs of advancement appearing. The player may purchase enhancement tools and thereby advance to different levels faster. The award system 170 may allow some portion or the entire tool (tool set) be sponsored by a third party.

Games often include a random number generator (or random generator emulation) event (which can be presented as a wheel for spinning or tiles/routs/arrays of objects for picking or other representations known to those skilled in the art) to provide a tool, tool set, or resource for faster advancement. Some of these random events may be free but a player may have to pay for some of them. The award system 170 may allow some portion or the entire random event to be sponsored by a third party. A player may thus have a chance to win sponsored prizes in the course of a game or random event.

The sponsored prize may be associated with information the player chose to disclose to the gaming system. Sponsored awards may be preferential to the player, the system may pick the sponsors for the player based on the information disclosed, or a combination of both. Sizes of sponsored awards may be in direct or indirect relation to the level of play. The awards may have game-only value (can be used in the game as a tool or a decoration) or may have actual value (gift cards or coupons provided by the third party).

In one example embodiment, the advertising content may be displayed on the game indicia. In other example embodiments, the advertising content may be displayed to specify a special sponsored tool for winning, advancement, or just a winning symbol. The prizes may be of a real nature, such as merchandise, discount coupons, gift cards, invitation to private sales, and so forth. There may be a random event associated with the dispensing of a prize. There may be one or more sponsors for the same gaming event.

Referring back to the method 500, at operation 504, the communication module 172 of the award system 170 may receive predetermined award selection criteria for selecting an award. At operation 506, the award selecting module 174 may select, based on the predetermined award selection criteria, an award from the award database 180. The selected award may be provided to the player at operation 508.

FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic representation of a computing device for a machine in the example electronic form of a computer system 600, within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein can be executed. In various example embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine can operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine can be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a portable music player (e.g., a portable hard drive audio device such as a Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 (MP3) player, a web appliance, a network router, a switch, a bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 600 includes an engine or multiple engines 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which communicate with each other via a bus 608. The computer system 600 may further include a video display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 600 also includes an alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 620.

The disk drive unit 616 includes a computer-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., instructions 624) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 624 can also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604 and/or within the engines 602 during execution thereof by the computer system 600. The main memory 604 and the processor 602 also constitute machine-readable media.

The instructions 624 can further be transmitted or received over a network 626 via the network interface device 620 utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), CAN, Serial, Modbus).

While the computer-readable medium 622 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present application, or that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such a set of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media. Such media can also include, without limitation, hard disks, floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital video disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and the like.

The example embodiments described herein can be implemented in an operating environment comprising computer-executable instructions (e.g., software) installed on a computer, in hardware, or in a combination of software and hardware. The computer-executable instructions can be written in a computer programming language or can be embodied in firmware logic. If written in a programming language conforming to a recognized standard, such instructions can be executed on a variety of hardware platforms and for interfaces to a variety of operating systems. Although not limited thereto, computer software programs for implementing the present method can be written in any number of suitable programming languages such as, for example, Hyper text Markup Language (HTML), Dynamic HTML, Extensible Markup Language (XML), Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), Wireless Markup Language (WML), Java™, Jini™, C, C++, Perl, UNIX Shell, Visual Basic or Visual Basic Script, Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), ColdFusion™ or other compilers, assemblers, interpreters or other computer languages or platforms.

Thus, systems and methods for providing awards and advertisement content within a gaming environment have been described. Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes can be made to these example embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. 

1. A computer-implemented method for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment, the method comprising: receiving predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content; based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria, selecting the advertisement content from an advertisement database; and selectively providing the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the game is associated with a social network.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the game is played on one or more of the following devices: a mobile device, a computer, and a video game console.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement content is provided with respect to a portion of the game or a bonus game.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the gaming environment includes one or more players.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria includes one or more of the following: a personal preference, a social network fact, a third party fact, a geographical location, and a demographical fact.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the game is designed to include the surface of the virtual object, the surface being dedicated to displaying the advertisement content.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement content is displayed on game indicia.
 9. An advertisement system for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment, the method comprising: a communication module to: receive a request to provide the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game, receive predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content; and an advertisement selecting module to select the advertisement content from an advertisement database based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria and to provide the advertisement content for the surface of the virtual object within the game.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the game is connected with a social network.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the game is played on one or more of the following devices: a mobile device, a computer, and a video game console.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement content is provided with respect to one or more of the following: a portion of the game and a bonus game.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the gaming environment includes one or more players.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria includes one or more of the following: a personal preference, a social network fact, a third party fact, a geographical location, and a demographical fact.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the game is designed to include the surface of the virtual object, the surface being dedicated to displaying the advertisement content.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement content is displayed on game indicia.
 17. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertisement content includes one or more of the following: a tool for advancement, a winning keyword, and a winning symbol.
 18. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions for providing advertisement content within a gaming environment, which when implemented by one or more processors, performs the following operations: receive a request to provide the advertisement content for a surface of a virtual object within a game; receive predetermined advertisement content selection criteria for selecting the advertisement content; based on the predetermined advertisement content selection criteria, select the advertisement content from an advertisement database; and selectively provide the advertisement content for the surface of the virtual object within the game. 